This weeks reading is from Parashat Yitro (Shemot / Exodus 18:1-20:23), the Scripture portion this week tells us that Yitro (Moshe’s father in law) arrived bringing Moshe’s wife Zipporah and his two sons, Gershom and Eleazar (18:1-3). Moshe told Yitro everything the Lord had done and Yitro said י וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם וּמִיַּד פַּרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶת-הָעָם מִתַּחַת יַד-מִצְרָיִם:18:10 So Jethro said, ‘Blessed be the Lord who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. (NASB) Moshe’s father in law praised the Name of the Lord, and then they make an offering to the Lord and sit down to eat before God (18:12). The next day, Yitro saw all that Moshe was doing for the people and recommended that Moshe select leaders from the people as judges so that only the heavy matters Moshe would judge (18:13-26). In the third month leaving Egypt, the people arrive at the wilderness of Sinai (18:26-19:1). Lord told Moshe, have the people consecrate themselves because in three days the Lord will come down to speak with them (19:7-16). The Lord warned not to break through and gaze so they would not die (19:24-25) and God called Moshe and Aharon to come up on the mountain. The reading this week concludes with the Lord giving Moshe and the people His ten commandments (Shemot / Exodus 20:1-19).

Shemot / Exodus 18:8-12 18:8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how the Lord had delivered them. 18:9 Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians. 18:10 So Jethro said, ‘Blessed be the Lord who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 18:11 ‘Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.’ 18:12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God. (NASB)

The Scriptures say that Moshe told Yitro all the hardships that had befallen them on the journey and all the Lord had done for Israel’s sake. Thinking on the land of slavery and God’s deliverance, do you ever wondered why God allows sin in this world? Have you ever asked the Lord to keep you from sin and you turn around and sin again after asking for help? Yitro heard of the hardships of Israel, all of the sin of Egypt, and all the Lord had done for Moshe in the deliverance of Israel from bondage. Hearing these things Yitro gave praise to the Lord saying בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם“Blessed is the Lord that delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians” (18:10). Follow the sequence of events here, Yitro arrived (18:1-3), Moshe told him of all God had done (18:8), Yitro praised God (18:10), then they offered Sacrifices to the Lord and sit down to have a meal together at peace (18:12). Because of what God had done, Yitro said עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-גָדוֹל יְהוָֹה מִכָּל-הָאֱלֹהִים“Now I know that God is greater than all other gods.” The Apostle Paul said the Torah is a tutor or teacher in Galatians 3:24 ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν, ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν: 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (NASB) What is the Torah teaching us here about our lives and sin? God is greater than all things. The reason the Lord allows sin, and failure in our lives is so that we come to Him (God) on our knees as humble servants and not on our feet in the pride of life. Today, we hear (read) of all the Lord has done for us, we come to the Lord God Almighty in the Messiah (in the offering for atonement He has provided) and because of these things we are able to live at peace with God and with others. The Scriptures this week teach us to rely upon the Lord for everything, even in our day-to-day lives for help from sin. God’s deliverance was not based upon Israel, it was based upon Himself and in Him keeping His promises! The Lord can and will deliver you from sin in Yeshua the Messiah but you have to wholly rely upon Him! BTT_Parashat Yitro-2013

Duane D. Miller received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Akron Ohio. He is currently a Chemical Engineering Researcher.
Duane’s research expertise has focused upon functional materials development for the control, conversion, and release of process gases in Energy production technologies. His R&D interests include computational chemistry, developing novel technologies for converting biomass to fuels and studying their fundamental interactions during the chemical conversion process. His past experience includes sorbent development for pre- and post-combustion CO2 and SO2 capture, selective absorption of H2S from methane streams, O2 capture for oxy-fuel combustion, photocatalytic reduction of alcohols, NOx reduction catalysis, the development of oxygen carriers to combust fossil fuels (CH4 and coal) for the chemical looping combustion processes, and the extraction of rare earth elements using patent pending sorbents. His research expertise has focused on operando-characterization using Infrared, Raman, and UV-Vis spectroscopy to observe the nature of the catalytic active sites and reaction intermediates under realistic reaction conditions, allowing direct correlation of molecular/electronic structures with catalyst performance during Gas-Solid / Liquid-Solid Adsorption and Photocatalytic Processes with real time online analysis of reaction products using ICP-MS and mass spectrometry. His current work involves a multi-disciplinary approach to developing, understanding, and improving the catalytic gasification of coal and methane, high temperature chemical looping combustion, and the catalytic decomposition and gasification of biomass and coal using novel microwave reactor.​
He has been studying the Hebrew Scriptures and the Torah for 20+ years and sharing what he has learned. The studies developed for MATSATI.COM are freely to be used by everyone, to God be the Glory!